In the heart of the Papua Pegunungan province, where mist blankets the highland valleys and oral histories echo through wooden huts, a quiet cultural revolution is taking place. The local government of Jayawijaya Regency, in collaboration with community leaders, elders, and civil society, has launched a bold and symbolic initiative: the opening of sekolah adat—traditional or indigenous schools—aimed at preserving the rich cultural identity of the Papuan highlands.
More than just institutions of learning, these schools are sanctuaries of memory, language, ritual, and identity. In a region that has long grappled with modernization, marginalization, and the erosion of ancestral knowledge, the return of sekolah adat marks a significant step in reclaiming Papuan traditions through grassroots education.
A School Rooted in the Land
In early May 2025, the village of Walelagama in Wamena became the site of a landmark event: the formal inauguration of one of the first indigenous schools in Papua Pegunungan. The initiative, supported by the Jayawijaya District Government, was celebrated with traditional dances, community feasts, and speeches in local languages.
District Head Jhon Richard Banua, in his official remarks, stated:
“This school is more than a building. It is a place to nurture our identity, our local wisdom, and our shared values. We want our children to know who they are, where they come from, and the traditions that shaped our people.”
The school in Walelagama will teach students about customary law (hukum adat), traditional agriculture, native cosmology, oral literature, indigenous Papuan languages, and local art forms—including carving, weaving, and dance.
A Movement Spreading Across the Highlands
Following Walelagama, other indigenous schools have been opened in Sumunikama Village, Itlay Hisage District, and several other rural areas. Each school is tailored to its local culture, with elders and traditional leaders directly involved in the curriculum design and teaching process.
In Kampung Sumunikama, residents independently reopened a school building, cleaned its surrounding grounds, and reactivated it as a center of cultural learning. “We don’t want our knowledge to die with us, we want our grandchildren to inherit it.”
The model is deliberately community-driven. Instead of using rigid state curricula, the schools adapt to local traditions, ensuring that each community’s unique heritage is taught and transmitted through intergenerational dialogue.
The Jayawijaya District Government hopes these schools will help instill pride and resilience in Papuan youth, who are increasingly distanced from their roots due to the spread of digital media, formal education in Bahasa Indonesia, and migration to urban centers.
The Philosophy Behind Sekolah Adat
At the core of this movement lies a simple but powerful belief: education does not have to come at the expense of identity.
For many Papuans, formal education has historically been seen as a tool of assimilation. Children leave their villages to attend state schools, often returning unable to speak their mother tongue or understand their clan’s values. While state education brings literacy and opportunity, it also—intentionally or not—disconnects many Papuans from the cultural lifeworlds they inherit.
Benny Mawel, a local education activist and one of the architects of the sekolah adat model, described the initiative as “a strategic step” in cultural preservation.
“We are not rejecting modern education,” Mawel said. “But we are balancing it. Our children must know mathematics and science, yes—but they must also know the names of our sacred mountains, the stories of our ancestors, and how to speak the language of the land.”
Mawel emphasized that indigenous schools aim to complement, not replace, formal education. In the long term, he hopes that sekolah adat can work in tandem with public schools to offer a more holistic and culturally respectful educational experience.
Cultural Revival Through Curriculum
The curriculum at these schools is rich and grounded in lived experience. Children learn by doing—listening to stories around fire pits, helping elders in ceremonial preparations, learning traditional songs, and participating in forest foraging, gardening, and craft-making.
In the school opened in Itlay Hisage, for example, classes are conducted outdoors, and subjects include:
- Traditional calendar and seasonal cycles used in subsistence farming
- Symbolism of body painting and traditional attire
- Conflict resolution through customary law
- Language immersion in dialects like Hubula and Yali
- Sacred site identification and environmental taboos
Students are also encouraged to reflect on the meaning of being Papuan in today’s world—discussing issues like land rights, social change, and inter-clan cooperation.
Community-Led, Spirit-Guided
One of the most distinctive aspects of sekolah adat is its governance model. These schools are not run by the Ministry of Education but by local cultural councils—groups of elders, spiritual leaders, and community members selected through customary processes.
Elder Elia Ukago, who teaches at the Sumunikama school, described his role not as that of a teacher, but as a “memory keeper.”
“What I teach is not written in books. It is carried in my heart. It is the story of our people,” he said.
The role of women is also central. Grandmothers (nene) are responsible for teaching traditional weaving, cooking, healing rituals, and storytelling—particularly to young girls.
Such grassroots ownership ensures that the schools are truly reflective of community values and remain sustainable even without formal state funding.
Government Support and Future Vision
While the schools are community-run, the government of Jayawijaya and Papua Pegunungan has pledged ongoing support. In early May 2025, officials visited several sites, providing symbolic resources such as books, drums, and mats—tools that blend traditional and modern learning.
“We are proud of what our communities have done,” said a representative of the Jayawijaya Education Office. “Our job now is to ensure these schools are recognized, respected, and included in our broader development plans.”
One long-term goal is to have sekolah adat recognized as part of Papua’s unique educational ecosystem under Special Autonomy Law (Otsus). This would open pathways for funding, teacher accreditation, and curriculum development that honors cultural pluralism.
The provincial government is also exploring ways to document and archive local knowledge gathered from these schools to create cultural preservation libraries in Wamena and surrounding towns.
Challenges Ahead
Despite growing enthusiasm, the indigenous school movement faces several challenges:
- Lack of infrastructure: Most sekolah adat operate in humble huts or under trees.
- Recognition and legitimacy: The schools are not yet formally accredited, which limits their influence in official policy.
- Generational gaps: Some youth remain disengaged or skeptical of tradition, particularly in areas more influenced by urban culture.
- Resource constraints: There are few written materials in local languages, and the oral nature of indigenous knowledge makes transmission vulnerable to loss.
Nevertheless, supporters believe that the revival of sekolah adat is an urgent and necessary step.
A Model for Indigenous Revival Across Indonesia
The Papuan indigenous school model is attracting attention from other indigenous communities in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Maluku. Cultural activists across the archipelago see sekolah adat as a replicable strategy for decolonizing education and grounding learning in local epistemologies.
National education scholars have called for the Ministry of Education to recognize the importance of such models in fulfilling Indonesia’s commitment to multicultural and inclusive education under the Constitution.
According to Dr. Riris Kogoya, an anthropologist from Cenderawasih University, “Sekolah adat is not just about culture—it is about dignity, resilience, and reclaiming our right to define knowledge on our own terms.”
Conclusion
In Papua Pegunungan, the rebirth of sekolah adat is more than a nostalgic return to the past. It is a bold declaration of cultural survival in a world that often marginalizes indigenous voices.
As drums echo through the highland valleys and children recite their ancestral stories in native tongues, a new generation is being raised—not just as students of the world, but as custodians of their heritage.
For the people of Walelagama, Sumunikama, Itlay Hisage, and beyond, sekolah adat is a place where memory is honored, identity is formed, and the future is being written—one story, one song, one ritual at a time.
